Healing Blind Bartimaeus
Primary Reference: Mark 10:46-52
As Jesus and His disciples left Jericho on the road to Jerusalem for the final time, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus sat by the roadside. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, he began to cry out with desperate urgency: "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!" The crowd rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but Bartimaeus refused to be deterred — he cried out all the more.
Jesus stopped. In the midst of His final journey to the cross, with the weight of the world's salvation upon Him, He stopped for one blind beggar. He called Bartimaeus to Him and asked, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" Bartimaeus answered, "Lord, that I might receive my sight." Jesus said, "Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole." Immediately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus along the road — the road that led to Jerusalem, to the cross, and to glory.
Bartimaeus' story is one of the most vivid personal accounts in the Gospels. His persistence in the face of opposition, his bold use of the messianic title "Son of David," his casting aside of his beggar's cloak to come to Jesus, and his immediate decision to follow — all exemplify the kind of faith that moves the heart of God. That he received his sight on the road to Jerusalem means he would have witnessed the triumphal entry, and possibly the crucifixion. The last miracle of healing before the cross was an act of mercy toward a man the world considered worthless.
Scripture References
Mark 10:46-52
The primary account of blind Bartimaeus healed by Jesus on the road from Jericho.
Matthew 20:29-34
Matthew's account, mentioning two blind men at Jericho.
Luke 18:35-43
Luke's account of the healing near Jericho.
Isaiah 35:5
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened" — messianic prophecy fulfilled as Jesus approached Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
"A King shall reign and prosper" from David's line — the Son of David Bartimaeus called upon.
2 Samuel 7:12-16
God's covenant with David — the messianic hope behind the title Bartimaeus used.
Psalm 34:6
"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."
Psalm 40:17
"I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me" — God's attention to the marginalized.
Luke 4:18
"He hath sent me... recovering of sight to the blind" — Jesus' mission statement from Isaiah.
Hebrews 12:1-2
"Let us run with patience the race" — Bartimaeus following Jesus on the road, a picture of discipleship.